Oil Filter Housing Damaged

It might help if Toyota embossed the torque spec on the oil filter housing, and/or included an oil change instruction in the Owner’s Manual. The latter used to be the norm: now a Toyota Tech Info subscription (and a good deal of perseverance) is needed, to access absurdly basic service info.

 

Toyota dealers often have on line coupons for oil change specials. If they find the plastic filter cap to be damaged, they will install one for around $50.

 

Might be worth checking Amayama too. For me on Canada's west coast, in CDN dollars, all-in: $39.94.

 

mmmm Are the talking about the OIL "FILLER" CAP, or the OIL "FILTER" HOUSING????
If it's just the cap, they would likely show you, and not charge any LABOR to replace it, just the
cost of the cap. And the same for the oil filter housing. They have both off to change the oil and filter.

The only cost would be the part itself. Rather SHOULD be. If the try to charge you labor, just say no and leave.
Purchase the parts and take them to the new place you go next time you need an oil change and give them
the parts and ask them to use the new parts. And if possible, WATCH them!

 

If the oil filter housing is the aluminum component the oil filter cap (or oil filter, with spin-on style) screws onto, removal is not part of an oil change.

still, very likely just the cap that is damaged.

 

???? The oil FILTER housing, is plastic, or aluminum. Unless there is a defect, you would have to
want to damage the filter housing. If it's a spin on, it's a non issue.
There is no aluminum part of the oil FILLER cap. The cap you remove to fill the engine with oil.
How would you fill it back up is you don't remove it? Through the dip stick tube? That would be fun!!!!

 

Terminology tripping us up? The highlighted bit on the right is called the "cap"? And the highlighted bit on the left is the "housing"? There isn't anything else.

 

You can buy an inexpensive after market device that converts this horrible failure of an oil filter design into a standard disposable filter... And it's also time to hold your mechanics feet to the fire on this one because if he's been changing the oil for you he's the one who damaged the filter housing. Specifically, this design gets people using an impact driver rather than a wrench and that not only puts them on too tight, but also damages them. Don't let him make you pay for his abuse of your oil filter housing!

 

Toyo parts are available for that conversion, under $100 CDN all-in.

 

He is talking about the oil filler cap on the valve cover

 

Ah, ok.

 

The part that bolts to the engine, is the oil filter mounting bracket. The part that actually holds
the filter inside of itself, is the housing.

Oil "FILLER", not "FILTER", cap, is the part on the valve cover that is removed to pour the new oil
into the engine.

 

Actually you're correct in the assistance you're offering Mendel. @rjparker doesn't know what he's talking about! The person posted clearly stated: "they recommend that I have the oil filter housing replaced because "it is worn out".

Where him & Dogman came to decide that it's the oil fill cap instead is beyond me? I unignored both of those folks in this thread see who you were replying to...

 

Yeah I figured we were talking about stuff in vicinity of oil pan, didn’t catch on.

 

Since your mechanic has been doing your oil changes for the last 8 years there is a good chance the housing is worn out. The plastic versus metal housing doesn't exchange heat properly and at some point was difficult to remove. And, if it was hard to remove, most likely they had to tighten harder to help compensate the possibility of leakage. I truly think they did you no harm over the years. Its just the way the thing is built.

Having said all this, I would recommend the conversion set up Mendel listed, find a friend who is mechanically inclined, have them do it, buy or make them lunch or dinner and call it a day. The conversion kit converts the housing to the standard "spin on" type oil filter and all oil changes moving forward will be much easier. The cost at worst would be under $200 and some pizza.

 

Yep, those plastic canisters aren't the toughest things out there and mechanics who manhandle them by over tightening can ruin them...I've replaced the plastic ones in my daughters Sienna and my Tundra with OEM metal ones from Toyota.
A word of caution for folks who don't do their own oil changes...trust but verify any work done! I mean, as soon as you get your car from your mechanic, pop the hood and check the oil level.
My 2021 Prius is getting "free" maintenance for two years so I've been busy with a bathroom renovation and she hit the 10,000 mile mark. (I did my own oil changes at 1,000 and 6,000 miles). So I decided to make an appointment to have my dealer do the tire rotation and oil change (Corwin Toyota in Colorado Springs.)
I got the car home and looked at the receipt...they put 0W-20 oil instead of 0W-16. Not a big deal but they are supposed to notify the owner that 0W-16 MUST be used on the next one, which they did not. I checked the oil level....my mouth dropped.....WAY overfilled...checked it again....still very high, like 1/2 a quart too much. I drove it up on my ramps and drained it and refilled it with 0W-16 and gave them a very bad rating when they sent me a customer satisfaction survey. That dealership will NOT be touching any more of our vehicles or my families. (The guy might not have overfilled but may not have let all the oil drain which would cause it to be overfilled...either way BAD and dangerous job...you do not want to ever have too much oil in the engine.)

 

But if not grossly abused, the plastic piece will outlast the car, or the engine.

 

No it won't... Even the most competent mechanic is eventually going to get this garbage plastic stuck and will have to use a huge breaker bar or impact driver to get it loose and those forces should never be applied to an oil filter because it causes damage. And Toyota by their own admission ended this design because it was a failed design, just like the garbage piston rings and easily clogged EGR on Gen3 Prius.

 

One thing nigh impossible to verify: DID they put an oil filter in there. There was one report here: guy doing his first change after dealership free ones: no filter…

 

Yeah, having to redo what I paid good money for is why I started to wor on my car myself.

The hassle of scheduling, driving to the dealer, waiting ad inspecting their work made me avoid them and just do the work myself correctly in the first place.

Unfornately, sometimes there are un-recoverable damage done by these idiots.

A lot of oil change places subsitute 0W20 for 0W16, because it's cheaper and easier to get. 0W16 is still in short supply in some areas.